Psychology BA/BS Requirements
The major in psychology requires a minimum of 60 credits in the field. Students must complete the required courses in statistics before taking any 400-level course or any course with statistics as a prerequisite.
All students majoring in psychology, especially those that are considering graduate work in psychology, are encouraged to plan their program with an advisor from the Department of Psychology no later than the beginning of their first term of junior standing.
It is recommended that freshmen not enroll in psychology courses unless they have a B average (3.00 GPA) or above in high school.
In addition to meeting the general University degree requirements, the student must meet the following requirements for major:
- Stat 243Z Elementary Statistics I (4 credits) and Stat 244 Introduction to Probability and Statistics II (4 credits) or
- Stat 243Z Elementary Statistics I (4 credits) and Psy 320 Social Science Research Methods II (4 credits) or
- Soc 396 Social Research Methods, Social Statistics (4 credits) and Psy 320 Social Science Research Methods II (4 credits)
- Psy 200 Psychology as a Natural Science (4 credits)
- Psy 204 Psychology as a Social Science (4 credits)
- Psychology elective 200-level or above, including 399-409 (4 credits)
- Psy 321 Research Methods in Psychology (4 credits)
- Psy 410-498 (16 credits)
- Additional upper-division psychology courses at 300-or 400-level, excluding 401-409 (20 credits)
All majors are encouraged to begin their work in statistics as soon as possible in preparation for Psy 321, which is a prerequisite for many of the upper-division courses.
Human Diversity Requirement
Besides taking courses in a range of subjects in psychology, majors are also required to take a course in human diversity. To fulfill this requirement students can choose to take any 300- or 400-level class in the following subjects: Black Studies, Chicano/Latino Studies, Indigenous Nations Studies, and Women's Studies, or any of the following classes:
- Anth 318U Asian American Experience (4 credits)
- Anth 426 Transnationalism and Migration (4 credits)
- Anth 432 Gender, Sex, and Sexuality in Anthropological Perspective (4 credits)
- Comm 415 Problems of Intercultural Communication (4 credits)
- CR 312 Intercultural Conflict Resolution (4 credits)
- Psy 310U Psychology of Women (4 credits)
- Psy 410 Cross-cultural Psychology (4 credits)
- Psy 410 LGBTQ Psychology (4 credits)
- Psy 410 Native American Psychological Healing (4 credits)
- Psy 425 Psychology of Black Manhood in America (4 credits)
- Psy 426 Psychology of Stigma & Social Inequality (4 credits)
- Psy 428 Diversity, Prejudice and Intergroup Relations (4 credits)
- Psy 429 The Psychology of Race & Gender in Sport (4 credits)
- Psy 431U Psychology of Men and Masculinities (4 credits)
- Psy 458 Development & Education of African-Diaspora Children & Youth (4 credits)
- Psy 463 Development and Education of Immigrant Children and Youth (4 credits)
- Psy 469 Psychology of Human Sexuality (4 credits)
- Psy 470 Diversity in the Workplace (4 credits)
- Soc 337U Prejudice, Privilege, and Power (4 credits)
- Soc 344U Gender and Sexualities (4 credits)
- Soc 423 Stratification (4 credits)
- Soc 427 Gender and Work (4 credits)
- Soc 430 Hate Crimes (4 credits)
- Soc 444 Race, Ethnicity, and Nationality (4 credits)
- Soc 446 Immigrants in America (4 credits)
- Soc 452 Education and Equality: Comparing the US, Asia, Europe (4 credits)
- Soc 463 Global Inequalities and Health (4 credits)
The list above is not comprehensive; students can also use courses not included here with advisor approval.
60 total credits
All courses submitted to satisfy the requirements for a major in psychology, including the mandatory math courses, must be passed with a grade of C- or above. Courses taken under the undifferentiated grading option (pass/no pass) will not be accepted toward fulfilling department major requirements.
Students considering graduate work in psychology should be especially well prepared in mathematics and should take experimental psychology (Psy 454). They should consider participating in research with a faculty member. They are encouraged to develop breadth by pursuing interests in diverse fields outside psychology before beginning the greater specialization of graduate work.
Psychology Minor Requirements
To earn a minor in psychology a student must complete 28 credits (8 credits of which must be taken in residence at PSU), to include the following:
- Psy 200 Psychology as a Natural Science (4 credits)
- Psy 204 Psychology as a Social Science (4 credits)
- 300- or 400-level psychology courses, excluding 401 to 409 (20 credits)
28 total credits
All courses submitted to satisfy the requirements for a minor in psychology must be passed with a grade of C- or above. Courses taken under the undifferentiated grading option (pass/no pass) will not be accepted toward fulfilling department minor requirements.